Words Are Spells: How Language Can Shape Anxiety

What if the words you repeat every day are shaping your nervous system more than you realise?

In this episode of The Anxiety Compass, Sammy and Nat explore the powerful connection between language, anxiety, the nervous system, and the stories we repeat about ourselves.

From the way we speak out loud to the constant narration happening inside our minds, this conversation dives into how words can influence our emotions, stress responses, identity, and even physical sensations in the body.

Together, they unpack:

•  Why the brain is always listening 
•  How anxious self-talk reinforces nervous system patterns 
•  The science behind repetition, neural pathways, and emotional conditioning 
•  Why certain words hold emotional weight 
•  The connection between language, safety, and the body 
•  How tiny shifts in wording can change how we feel 
•  The difference between toxic positivity and nervous system awareness 

This is a powerful conversation about the way anxiety speaks to us… and the way it listens too.

Because sometimes changing the direction of The Anxiety Compass starts with changing the language guiding it.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hey, it's Amy and Natalie here, and welcome to the Anxiety Compass. Where anxiety isn't the enemy, it's our tour guide. We'll swap stories, share tools, and have a laugh while we find our way back to True North. Come along. Hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Matt, how are you?

SPEAKER_02 0:37

I'm really, really good, Sammy. I'm in a new pos new new location today. No, you don't look pixelated. I know. I know. The the NBN at my house is just really bad. The whole suburb's bad. It's just it's a known thing in my suburb. So I've actually come to a friend's place, but it's much better.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

I love that. I love that. Uh well, today we wanted to talk about the power of words and not just the words we speak out loud, but also the words we talk in our head. And I don't think people like I often say to people, when you think of the term spelling and that like spells, words are spells, like you're casting spells on yourself and the people around you. And ah, literally. And what if the words that you're repeating every day are actually shaping your nervous system more than you realize? And this is something I discovered when I did neurolinguistic processing. I realized just how powerful um words are, and they can be used to manipulate situations or to guide certain things, like they can be used for good or evil, I'm gonna say. Um, it's the same with a spell, yeah. Dark magic, light magic.

SPEAKER_02 2:02

Yep. Absolutely, and it and it's actual neuroscience, isn't it? Yes, you know, because the words we repeat we repeatedly use can shape what we notice, how we interpret situations, our emotional responses, our stress physiology, our belief systems, and also our behavioral patterns. It's very powerful.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

It is, and I found like when I did NLP, I found there are people out in the world doing NLP for good, you know, but there are also ones that run sort of like a cult-like system where they're it's like a hypnotic state with words, and you don't even know it's actually happening, and you're repeating these chants and sayings and uh retraining your brain to believe and and and do things that you normally wouldn't do. It's quite scary, actually. It really is.

SPEAKER_02 2:53

I found the same when I did my NLP training. It can be useful, or you know, yeah, we're weaving those words.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Yes, yeah, interesting. So your brain is constantly listening uh out loud, internal dialogue. What what do they say? We have over I think the new research was like 5,000 to 6,000 thoughts a day, and listening to those words in your head, the tone as well. Like someone said to me the other day the word nice, and if someone goes, oh nice or nice, you know what I mean. Um completely different meaning. Exactly, exactly, and your body doesn't always know the difference between a real threat and the story that you keep repeating, and if you've got that negative sort of mindset, you're constantly putting those thoughts into your um brain, which can um produce produce and lead to anxious feelings all the time.

SPEAKER_02 3:53

Um absolutely our brain is constantly listening, yes, and which you know, and and the brain is doing what it's meant to do, the brain is continuously scanning for danger, relevance, emotional meeting meaning, and patterns.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

Yes, and I was just gonna say, let's get into the science of it. And one actual system that uh we have in our in our bodies is called the reticular activating system, the RAS. And this is something that I learned through NLP and through my studies with um when I've been doing my nutrition studies, because it's not always about food, it's about you know patterns and behavior as well.

SPEAKER_02 4:33

So the filters we focus on.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

What is the reticular activating system? Because I know that it it's sort of like a filter. I like to use the car analogy.

SPEAKER_02 4:43

You know, we I was literally gonna I was gonna use that, yeah. I was gonna use that same analogy. So the reticulator, sorry, the reticular activating system or RAS is um a network in our brain stem, and it's involved in attention, arousal, alertness, and filtering sensory information. So at any given moment, the brain is receiving an enormous amount of sensory input. And what the RAS helps determine is what gets prioritized, what reaches conscious awareness, and what the brain considers important. So, I mean, it's essential that we have it because it's our filtering system. And if we didn't have it, we would be completely overwhelmed with a barrage of constant information. So, you know, it's an important part of our our brain.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

And you know, the rest filters. Sorry. I was just gonna say, I've seen those tests where they make you watch a video and they're like, what colour was he wearing? And you're like, I got no idea.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

I wasn't looking at that. Absolutely, absolutely, because it had a monkey in the background, you and that's the thing, because it had no relevance to you, and that's where that filter um and what we focus on. So again, Zach car. So when you buy a new car, or just say, you know, you play the uh the Spotto game, yeah, that's a classic one, you know. So we're all gonna look for yellow cars. Now there's always yellow cars, not so much these days, the cars tend to be more muted colours of white, grey, black these days. Um, but of course, we always, or a red car, let's say red car, they're always there, but we're not uh aware of it. So when we say, okay, we'll play spot on, we're gonna find a red car, all of a sudden you're seeing red cars everywhere because your brain is now tagging red cars as relevant. Yes, so the rasp brings them into our awareness and brings fat back into uh the anxiety compass podcast.

SPEAKER_00 6:43

Anxiety, yeah. I yeah, I find it's it's uh like the placebo-nacebo effects, a huge one where you know, if you believe something is going to work or not work, your body will do that physically. Uh, it's not just imagine. So expecting pain or sickness can actually trigger actual biological changes in your body and release stress hormones. Like I've had people who have described, or even just thinking about something happening to me, my children. Oh my gosh, touch wood, God forbid. But the thought and thinking and and creating these scenarios in my head and the words and the patterns that go with it release these hormones in my body where I start to panic and my heart will race, and nothing's actually happened, but my brain sort of taking me on a journey um with thoughts and and and words and thinks it's happened.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

It's happening. It's yeah, yeah, exactly. Your brain thinks it is. And yeah, so bringing that Rasp back to um having anxiety even being in that anxious state, um, the brain becomes more threat focused. So it the RAS starts prioritizing danger cues, uncertainty, negative information, your body sensations, and as you said, like worst-case scenarios. And that's part of our survival wiring. I mean, it's it's it's essential, and it was essential, you know, since you know, caveman days. But what the brain is, what the anxious brain is essentially asking is what could go wrong, and that's the that's the crux of anxiety, isn't it? We're future focused, you're you're you're catastrophizing and thinking about what could go wrong. Yeah, so when the person notices signs of rejections, physical symptoms, negative comments. I mean, that's a really big one, isn't it? It's the classic thing um case of you can have a hundred positive comments, just say you post something on social media. Yes, you can have a hundred positive comments, one person will make a negative comment. What does our brain focus on?

SPEAKER_00 8:51

That negative negative not the hundred other, yes, positive, and it's not just the outside comments, it's the internal ones as well. Like I'm hopeless, I'm gonna mess this up, I can't cope with life. I everything is hard, and I'm an anxious person. Everything is unsafe, yeah, yes, or nothing will ever work out, yeah. And your brain will look for the evidence to support your statements, whether they're allowed or in your head. Um, because identity statements matter. If you're constantly walking around, we've spoken about this before, saying I'm an anxious person. Your brain and your body are going to look for evidence. So making sure that being very mindful of what we say and stop casting these spells of negativity on your on yourself, let alone from other people. Um, the more we repeat something, the more your brain is going to look for that as like start treating it as truth. I'm stupid, I'm stupid, I'm stupid. Okay, she's stupid. Let's make sure we look for all the evidence to support that.

SPEAKER_02 9:57

Yes, I like really powerful stop.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

Yeah, so anxiety is constantly talking to us, it's constantly pointing us for signals, signs on where to go. Uh, with the anxiety compass, it's trying to direct you to your true north. But anxiety is also listening. And when we talk about, for example, in as you were saying, anxiety creates that fearful internal narration. Uh, the body reacts to that narration. Uh, the fear then causes the physical sensation uh and the cortisol release and you know, more fear. It's like a it's like a vicious cycle, isn't it? Um it really is. Yeah. Oh gosh. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 10:39

And that's that neuroplasticity. The more, you know, we're we're reinforcing it, we're creating those neural pathways that then really reinforces that negative patterning.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Yeah. And having meaning behind your words, like we just throw words out willy-nilly. I've been to and I've read a lot of self-help books, and I've been to see a lot of people in person. And one of the key things I noticed was paraphrasing and flipping the words that you usually say. So, for example, I'm falling apart, you'd say things like my nervous system's a little bit overloaded, like being bringing that awareness in and flipping the words. Yes, it's and and people say to me, Oh, that's just a bit pocus, pocus, woo-woo. It actually works. Like we were mentioning the science behind your brain. If you can catch yourself out in the moment and flip it, um, like there's just like even saying, I'm so weak, I'm I'm so frail, like your body will look for that, or you could say, My body's asking for extra support here, and allowing that that those shoulders to release and say, Okay, I actually need to delegate and need support here. I'm not weak, I just need some support. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 12:00

And a big one, you know, I can't handle this. Instead, saying this feels uncomfortable, but I can move through it, you know.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Yeah, yeah, there's so many ways we can flip it. Uh, and this is something I've had to teach myself. I I catch myself out even these days. Like, I mean, I've done so much work on myself, but like you go through seasons, right? And sometimes I'm it and I find hormones can play a role on and how we speak to ourselves as well. Like if you're feeling you're gonna talk to yourself, but um, yeah, I catch myself out all the time because uh words also hold that emotional energy um and that space. They really do.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

Yes, yeah, and it's a habit, isn't it? I mean, humans are creatures of habit, so even when you are doing the work, and and I'm the same as you, done a lot of work, done all the training as well. Yeah, but yeah, obviously, and that's the thing, it's not about always it's it's it's about becoming aware so that you can catch yourself and go, whoops, and of course, then using positive language, so not going, oh my god, I'm so stupid, I did it again. It's just like, oh, okay, oh, I see, I use that language again, and then you just do that that rephrase. It's like the classic, I mean, I've said this before, and this is appropriate here. It's that classic saying that um the Vietnamese um Buddhist monk Tignat Hahn said about around mindfulness is the moment we are aware that we're not being mindful, we're being mindful. That translates to this as well, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00 13:35

It does, it truly does. And I found like with NLP, like they sort of teach you to catch yourself out and be mindful of the words that you use, uh, and you would catch each other out, like using um one of the words that they didn't want us to use was try, because you're not actually trying, like you're either doing it or you're not. And another one was the word understand, like when you say to people, I understand, it means you're standing under them. And I felt like you know, you take what you can and leave the rest. I felt like I started getting anxious because I was over-analyzing my words in the end, um, to the point where I was taking this to the extreme, Nat. I was getting anxious about speaking because I was worried the word wrong words would come out of my head.

SPEAKER_02 14:20

And that comes with that mentality of make sure you're speaking the right words and yeah, does it look I I use that example though a lot in my clinic, whether I'm either coaching or you know, when people say, Oh, I'm trying, and I do challenge them on that.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

Yeah, but I do like to be challenged and I took it hard at first.

SPEAKER_02 14:41

It is because it really is. But you know, when I do challenge people and they're saying, Oh, look, I'm trying to go for a walk, or I'm and I'm like, Well, are you or not? Like, what's trying? And then they uh then that's when they flip it to the positive because just say their part of their treatment plan was to go for a walk three times a week. Yeah, this last week they only went for a walk once a week. Okay, so but their brain is fit is fixating on well, I was meant to go for a walk three times a week, so you're like, I'm trying, and I'm like, well, hang on. You either do or you you're not. Did you? Yes, yeah. I okay, yeah. I did go for a walk once a week, once last week. Great, let's celebrate that. So it's that positive reinforcement rather than that, yeah. I'm trying to do it.

SPEAKER_00 15:30

Well, we can cut us out. I like because the first things that often come out and our and our behaviors are often uh you're um unconscious, right? So you're subconscious, so often it's the truth, and you get caught out um because you don't realize you're about to say it, and then you kind of back step. But our words are very it's where your mind's at. I mean, they're not the truth, but they're the truth of where you're at at the moment, and it could be in a negative mindset. So when people catch you out with your words before you catch yourself out, it can be quite um a shock. Like, I didn't mean to say that. And it's like, well, you did say that, and I'm I'm making you aware that you've said that, and then you start to reflect, and you can get quite defensive because deep down you don't want to believe that you're saying these things, but your unconscious is at that spot and you're saying it. Absolutely, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:24

And you don't want to believe that, well, hang on, I'm sabotaging my my myself. Myself. What exactly? And again, it's not about judgment or recrimination, it's just showing a light on on our habits, you know, and it's it's across the board. I mean, we see it everywhere, and then of course, there's that that that flip side, isn't it, of the toxic positivity movement, you know? Yeah, like yeah, because we don't want to go into that. You're not like I don't like using the term fake it till you make it.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

Oh, I have to do it.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

We're not talking about that here, yeah. Absolutely. It's about just bringing that awareness and then gently moving that compass.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

Yeah, I've heard the phrase um be it till you see it rather than fake it till you make it. You know, when you're like that to do yeah, so just start the the habits until they become the habits, and um yeah, yeah, I love it. And I find also like when I was doing my training, there were certain words that were used, and and everybody who teaches you teaches you based on their knowledge and their opinions, right? And there were certain words that were used that were considered negative, and they would put that out into the audience um to see what people thought of specific words. And I've had people who have used words, but in a positive way, and I've always associated that specific word as a negative word, and so I've thought, wow, why would you use that word? Like there are so many different words. Oh, my phone is not on silent now. It is. Uh, but one of the words that would come up quite often is the word power, and it had a lot of negativity towards it because uh certain words can mean certain things based on our past experiences, right? And why we don't use them or why we use them, and how our body reacts. Like, if someone uses a certain word, how does your body internally react to that word? Because words have meanings, right? What do you think? If I use the word power or powerful, like what does that word mean to you? Like for me, it means strength. I have power, yes, yeah, me too. But power dangerous or intimidating because some people don't like the word power because it means for a man, particularly, women who have been overbear have been with an overbearing person, it can mean something quite dangerous to them.

SPEAKER_02 18:59

Absolutely, and I was gonna say that like in the past, because I have experienced um domestic violence as well. And and in the past, absolutely, the word power had such a like a really negative connotation. Like as soon as I would see or read that word, literally my body would start responding as though I was in that dangerous, a dangerous situation because it meant overpowering me.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

Yeah, to overpower me.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

I had to I had to unlearn that and um yeah, yeah, but now it is different. Now it's just um, you know, power. If for me, it was when I was, you know, in the the depths of it, power meant overpowering.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

Now power means empowerment of I love and unraveling words and knowing where their um origin came from. It's some of the words are interesting. It's like um, for example, uh overwhelm. What does the word whelm mean? Like, why why are we over this whelm? Are we ever under the whelm? Like, is it underwhelm and overwhelm? Like it there's just so many words that just we've used in the past we in our episode um about the CEO and anxious person at night, we've done a while ago. You we we brought up the word ruthless. Um, and I actually did a bit of research into it, and the original meaning is without Ruth, and Ruth is compassion and pity. So when you're saying the word ruthless, like we were saying, comes with the term bitch and stuff like that. Um, but it's meant to be without compassion, and I don't know if I agree with that, like as a word ruthless. I find um I've never used it in a way where I'm without compassion. Like you just don't know the meaning behind words.

SPEAKER_02 20:53

That is true.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Interesting. Yes, yes, and when we I was talking earlier about the word nice, it can it can mean foolish and simple. That's the history behind the word is foolish and nice, but nice is also that's nice, like you know what I mean? Yeah, like there's just so many things. What about the word hysterical? What do you think about the word hysterical?

SPEAKER_02 21:21

Absolutely, yeah. Well, hysterical, um, hysteria is you know, traditionally um apportioned to females, which actually is uterus, the root word is is related to the uterus, so you know, again, women historically have been labeled emotional, irrational, um hysterical woman, you know.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

Yes, I'm feeling hysterical. So when you label yourself these specific words, I've had women call themselves the S L U T word. Um Like they've said some really nasty things about themselves, let alone other people. And do you find like the words you use on other people often a reflection of how you feel about yourself?

SPEAKER_02 22:12

Oh, absolutely. Well, actually, no, yes and no. Definitely it can, but when I I used to speak to myself appallingly, like until I was brought it, it was brought into my awareness. My inner internal dialogue to myself were and I actually won't even repeat some of the words I used, like it was horrible. But there was no way I would ever say those words to somebody else. Yeah. It was really interesting. Like there was no way I would speak to another human the way I spoke to myself.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

Yeah, that's the saying, treat yourself how you want others to treat others or how you treat others. I can't remember the saying, but interesting. Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Treat others how yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:02

Well, you be your be your own best friend. Would you speak to your best friend like that? Like the way that you speak to yourself. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah. Like there's that um that's what I'm saying. Like words, they either activate safety for some people or activate shame or fear. Well, shame's not a great one that you want to activate. Um, our bodies respond before logic catches up. And and certain words can be extremely triggering. And I wonder if you're sitting there driving, listening, whatever you're doing, if there are certain words that trigger you, and I wonder what they might be and whether you use them in your everyday vocabulary without even realizing. Like Yeah, and whether they carry that emotion, emotional memories. Yeah, they do. Our language carries emotional memories. Um, and we were talking, so we've been talking about words. We mentioned tone, timing, tone and timing. It's not just what we say, but how we say it.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

Like I find when I'm talking to my dog, if I talk in this really cool, high-pitched voice all the time, he gets excited. But I could be saying, You are such a jerk and I hate you. And he's still like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:14

If I speak really harsh and and quite uh uh aggressive and abrasive towards him, it doesn't matter whether I say, I love you so much. You're like he's like he thinks he's getting into trouble. And I wonder, like, is that the same for humans? Are we affected by the tone of voice with our nervous? Do you sometimes have a really harsh inner dialogue? Like, can you get quite angry at yourself internally?

SPEAKER_02 24:46

Well, like I said, in the past, yes, I used to. I'm much more aware of it now, and and I catch myself, you know, there are still times when I'll, you know, my old one, because it was used to be told to me, was oh my god, you're so stupid. You are so stupid. Yeah. Now, when I and and I and I wouldn't think about it, it was just part of my language. Now, because I've understood and and you know, done a lot of work on myself and become aware of this. Now, when I say it, I instantly catch myself and my heart hurts. So I actually have a physiological response to that emotion that's attached to that word. And I've actually found myself actually saying out loud to myself, I'm so sorry, Nat. Like I'm not going back to the emotional because it's a really powerful thing.

SPEAKER_00 25:41

Yeah. And that's a big one with anxiety. Like, we should do a whole episode on the stupid thing because quite often we don't achieve and do because we don't feel like we're smart enough. I know that was one for me. I would constantly question my level of intelligence um and triple check everything. I hated that. The one that's sort of really triggering for my nervous system is the constant rushing language in my head. Hurry up, quick. I'm behind. I'm late. Oh my gosh, it's 12 o'clock already. I have done nothing. Oh my gosh. Like that in my head sets off my nervous system, like big time. And I have to catch myself out that why am I rushing all the time? Like, I don't realize. What do you say to yourself now when you do catch yourself out of the way? I say, I take a breath and I say, we can't do everything, like it's not possible. There is no rush. And where's the end of it? There is no end of it. So be in the moment. Like, what are you doing? Slow down, calm your nervous system, take a break. And so I will stop, I will make a cup of tea, recalibrate myself because why are we rushing? And quite often I pick up on the body cue. So if I'm in the car and I feel my hands holding the steering wheel more. I have to unclench. I have to clench, unclench my jaw because my brain is got this in it internal harsh dialogue of you're slow, you hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. You've got too many things to do, and you're not going to get them done.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

But yeah, when you're going down, I'm getting every red light. What is going on? And then you get you get aggressive with the car in front of you. What are they doing? Oh I know. Brushing their teeth. What the heck? I've seen that.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

There's some guy playing the flute in the car the other day. That was really weird. Oh, you're kidding. I I know it was very bizarre.

SPEAKER_02 27:41

The things people do when they're driving, but like catching yourself at uh he's happy. Yeah, that was his way to calm his nervous system.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

To play the flute and the at the light. You can imagine that would be against the law these days. You can't do anything while you're driving. Well, probably, yeah. Playing a flute. Uh, yeah. Oh wow. Yeah, but yeah, definitely the tone affects our nervous system. So being quite harsh, not just saying I'm late, but you know, having that forcefulness in your head or even out loud, other people pick that up. And my kids often say to me, Mom, what's going on? And quite often it's just before I get my period, I'll be in that state of flux where I feel overwhelmed, if that's even a word, over the well. And I need to Google what does well mean? We should Google that. And yeah, I'm I'm behind, I'm late. And reinforcing that into my brain, so it starts to look for reasons why I am late, and all of a sudden it's like your nervous system's listening to that tone, and you start to find evidence of why you're not keeping up with life. Oh my gosh, you're looking at well.

SPEAKER_02 29:00

I am the root of the word whelm is the old English. I can't even pronounce this. Well, it looks like it's Celtic or something. Welfen. H W E L F A N, which means to cover over, turn upside down, or capsize.

SPEAKER_00 29:22

So I'm over the yeah, that doesn't make any sense.

SPEAKER_02 29:26

Yeah, something very but that's what it means. That comes from around um 1300. Yes. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:35

Well, interesting.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:37

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

So if you're driving along and today's today's meaning is overwhelmed, describes overcome, being overcome by emotions or circumstances. But that's the word so it's that's where that's where it eventually came from. But you think about it, uh, turned over, capsize, it does make sense.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

And then when you're underwhelmed, what's underwhelmed? Not capsized? Hmm. Interesting. So if you're driving along and you're listening and you're like, well, I talk nasty to myself all the time, or maybe you don't talk nasty to yourself, well, you think you don't, but what have you have you ever used the words I should be doing this or I have to? Those in them in themselves add a lot of pressure to us. If you if you run in on anxiety and go, go, go, and your body's constantly screaming at you, saying I have to, I have to do the dishes, I have to cook dinner tonight, I have to. You get to switch that in your head to I get to, I get to. I had Dr. Levy say that to me once. When you switch everything, like I get to go to work, I get to do this. Yeah, because there are so many people that don't get to do this.

SPEAKER_02 30:48

I don't have to absolutely I when I first came across that, that flip, that had a huge impact on me as well. Yes, it was a big one. Yeah, I get to go. Well, what a privilege. I you know, I get to go to the school today.

SPEAKER_00 31:04

Yes, you get to, you get to, you're alive, well, you're breathing. Yes, yes, and another one's I'm stuck. We switch it to I'm learning. I'm constantly feeling a sense of stuck in business. And when I come out of that stuckness, I realize I was actually learning something new. So now I'm like, okay, what am I learning now? Learning all these things. Uh, and once you you you learn them, all of a sudden you're unstuck. So were you really stuck in the first place, or are you learning? I like that one. And the one that I was caught a lot when I was a kid, and I I rolled with this was I'm too sensitive, I'm overly sensitive. And I hear a lot of kids that get that as well. I switched, and something I talk about in my book is sensitivity is a great thing, it just means your nervous system's noticing a lot and uh where you can pull back because you're getting overwhelmed. I'm gonna use that word all the time now.

SPEAKER_02 32:01

Overwhelmed.

SPEAKER_00 32:03

Um, yeah, I like this. So non-toxic positivity, not pretending, like we were saying, just changing the nervous system response to these words. Um, yeah, amazing, amazing. Well, I feel like we've done a lot on this topic, considering I thought it would be a short podcast. Do you want to throw a reflective question for our or do you have anything else before we jump there? I mean, we could all over the place.

SPEAKER_02 32:32

We could keep talking about this one, but no, I think that's enough for for today. So if your inner voice spoke to a child the way it speaks to you, would you be comfortable listening? So that's just an expansion on what we were talking about before.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

I've seen people speak to their kids the way that I talk to myself sometimes in a shopping center. Harry, what are you doing? Get in the trolley, we gotta go. I'm like, oh my gosh, that poor kid. And then I'm like, oh, I speak to myself like that. That's not very nice. Like, I and my nervous system's like triggered from listening to that woman screaming at a kid, hurry up. Yeah, same.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

Absolutely. Well, another really great question, if that's a bit too much, is what sentence do you repeat most often about yourself? Or sentence or word? And what is your body learning from it?

SPEAKER_00 33:31

Oh, what's that for you, Nat? Do you have a word or a sentence that often pops up that you uh trying to uh learn and switch?

SPEAKER_02 33:43

Probably still the I'm stupid. Yeah, that still occasionally pops up. If I make a mistake, that just slips in. Oh my god, you're so stupid. But like I said, I catch myself these days, and but yeah, I think that's probably one of my lifelong learnings because I heard that so finds the rushing, the constant pressure to get so much done, and my body doesn't like that at all.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

It's like, stop, shh, calm. So yeah, I need to change the thoughts in my head with that. The stories we repeat shape the direction of where the compass is pointing, and so when we're going back to the anxiety compass, uh words can definitely steer us in certain directions. So spells, words are spells, and uh be mindful of that. I've got a little boy on my lap who's decided it's the end of the podcast. He wants to bark at the neighbor's dog, and uh, I wonder if dogs have internal dialogue. I wonder what's going on in dogs' heads. Do you think they ever rush and call themselves stupid?

SPEAKER_02 34:52

I really don't think so.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

I really don't. Thanks for joining us on the Anxiety Compass. If you love this episode, share it with a friend who needs a little laugh and a low calm. We'll see you in the next one. Keep following your true norm. Disclaimer time. Sammy and Natalie may be clinical nutritionists, but we're not your personal doctors. What you hear is for learning and laughing, not diagnosing or prescribing. If things feel bigger than you, call your doctor or local support line or reach out to a qualified health professional and they've got your back to